Your Name
Address
Postcode

Date - 2007

Dear John,

You asked for a quote for a couple of web sites and to do this properly I need to have more details on the aims and ambitions for the sites.

However, I thought you might like to see how my charges are built up to arrive at an approximate overall total cost for a small site.

1. My charges are £40 per hour and very roughly I produce/adjust a web page in that time, the first one takes twice as long. For a simple brochure style site of 5 to 7 pages, an overall cost of £300 to £550 would be my estimate (not a fixed price) - it does depend on how much titivation we do. My initial overall figure includes web pages, incorporating pictures, the putting on site process and the initial notification/marketing of the site via the Internet. It does not include domain name & site hosting costs or future amendments/updating (see 5. below).

2. Firstly, we must have an initial design discussion and sketch out the rough layout on paper. Then with some logos/pictures in digital format and any of your existing text on this project as a doc file, I can produce a sensible draft of the front page. Most clients have words that they want me to use, some I produce words for them to approve; for most clients I create the pictures/photos needed. Once I start the draft front page my charging begins and I will keep you in close touch with progress and costs. I provide costed timesheets as monthly invoices and I will warn you of the cost of any extras before they are incurred. You will be in control and there will be no surprises.

3. As the pages are developed I will put the bits up on my web site so you can see how it shapes up (and comment loudly and quickly). It will be hidden to the public - except you will know where to find it, and when there is something coherent to show then I can lift it up to your host site. (It is poor advertising to have an open site under construction with links that don't work etc). We shall have to choose a host for the site, who will be your ISP (internet service provider) and select and register an available domain name plus password. I shall set-up all these webhost details when that time comes.

4. For a simple & cheap Internet provider, I would suggest www.123-reg.co.uk for hosting and domain name - their costs are £2.59 pa. for a name.co.uk ( 2 year min) and £19.08 pa for hosting plus £10 setup cost ( plus Vat). A total of around £40 in year 1 - £30 thereafter. These will be set up in an account in your name and the annual bills will come to you. The next level up are hosts that have a good regularly measured performance and some simple extras - form handling, simple encryption etc (price £50-£100pa). The top level have all the knobs and whistles - secure links to online credit checking, shopping facilities, webmail etc etc. ( price about £300+). I would suggest that we should be positioned in the lower/middle range, but we can decide that while the project is developing on my site. All registrations will be in your name and address (as the owner), I will put my email address for any technical queries.

5. Future site amendments/updating. I am very happy to provide training so that you can upload new pictures/text to keep your site refreshed. However, if I do help out, it will be an extension of this job at the same rate. Most clients prefer me to be involved.

We can touch upon all these points as and when we meet. Ideally, you will have looked at some of your competitors sites and noted (printed out) what features you like and what you hated. I will do the same.

Yours sincerely,

M J Kent